Accommodation at Pangong Tso : Hotels & Camp Sites

June 11, 2014

The first time I visited Pangong, It was an entirely different scenario than it is today. I and a friend of mine were the only tourists at Pangong that day. There was no one else in sight except for a few villagers at distance and the entire area seemed deserted, as you would expect an area closer to border to be. Accommodation at Pangong Tso was limited to one government run hotel and a poorly maintained single room by local villagers where you had to sleep on the floor in blankets which were also provided by the villagers. Back then, we paid Rs. 100 per person to spend the night at the lake. What’s more, we also got to go boating in the lake with Indian Army which you can just forget about these days.

Boating In Pangong Lake

All thanks to Bollywood, now it is an entirely different story altogether. Now right from the point where the lake starts also starts a serious of chadar tents which is later followed by camp sites all along till Spangmik. Until a few years ago people had to give a serious thought about where to spend the night if they wanted to stay at Pangong and the only available options were either to shed some serious money at the hotel or to sleep on the floor [2nd option was really fun by the way]. This is of course not the case anymore. Now options of accommodation at Pangong Tso are in plenty and you can chose per your convenience or budget.

1. Chadar Tents : Usually run by locals, its a huge tent with a dhaba at the front and sleeping arrangements at the back in form of a series of beds. These are in plenty in Ladakh and quite popular too mostly because they are quite cheap. Staying here makes a lot of sense when you know that all you need is a bed to crash on for the night because you will be on your way in the morning. They usually charge between Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 per person, depending on your negotiation skills, excluding meals. You just take your luggage in and sleep on the bed assigned which is quite comfortable considering the money you paid for it. A good option but yes quite inconvenient if you are a little privacy concerned or if someone else sleeping in the tent starts to snore. And yes, you will also have to use a shared washroom.

Accommodation at Pangong Tso

2. Camp Sites : Another good option to stay and available in plenty. Its a typical camp site with a serious of tens with a sleeping capacity of 3 to 4 people. Expect the charges to start from Rs. 1500 / person inclusive of meals. Usually they will tell you that its a fixed price but you can always negotiate. Last time I visited, I was able to talk the owner into half the price that he initially quoted. Quite comfortable with attached washroom facilities with each tent and a good choice to stay if within your budget.

Accommodation at Pangong Tso

Accommodation at Pangong Tso

3. Cemented Hotel : Pangong Camp Resort is still the only cemented hotel at the lake and the oldest staying option. Its a hotel, what else can I say, and a pretty good one too, but very costly. Comfortable rooms with hot water but in buckets. This is the only place where you can afford to take a shower here because you can’t do that at the chadar tents and camps sites [unless you don’t mind bathing in a tent with wind sneaking in and please don’t make the mistake of taking a dip in the lake which I did. Water is saline and freezing cold capable of either freezing or drowning you to death]. Food is the best at the hotel and the service is quite satisfying. Expect the price to start from at least Rs. 3000 / 4000 for a double bed room and inclusive of meals. It is the preferred and probably the best option to stay if you are visiting with family but it is mostly booked months in advance.

4. Paying Guest : Almost every villager’s house in Spangmik serves as a guest house and this is the only other option if you want to spend the night within cemented walls. This is what the name suggests, you pay someone to spend a night at their house. No electricity and no hot water but they will probably not charge you more than Rs. 300 to Rs. 500, inclusive of food. Small neat houses with clean washrooms and your hosts are quite friendly people. Another option to consider If you are visiting with family. The only drawback is that it is at a little distance from the lake so if sitting at the banks of Pangong is on your mind, you wouldn’t like it however you will get an amazing landscape view of the lake the moment you peek out of your window.

If I was to be asked the best choice among the ones listed above, It would be the camp sites. You get your own tent, not highly overpriced, have attached washrooms, hot water, food is OK and they are right next to the lake. You can squeeze them into your budget too if you have some negotiation skills. During our last visit, I on purpose searched for a camp site where there were no other guests except for us because that camp site was more prone to dropping the charges. People ask me if they need to make arrangements in advance and my answer is no, unless you are planning to stay at the hotel Pangong Camp Resort. Just go there and see what suits you the best, no need to make any arrangements in advance.

Below is a list of a few camp sites at Pangong and hotels nearby with contact information in case you would like to call and inquire in advance. Please do note that I have not of course stayed at all of them. These are just names and numbers that I gathered from either when I was in Leh myself or from over the web. The camp sites where I have mentioned Spangmik as location are the ones right next to Pangong, other are in nearby villages.

Pangong Camp Resort JKTDC : The government run and the only hotel right next to the lake. Price range would be anywhere from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 for a double bedroom.

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 0191 254 9065

Pangong Tso Kongma Resort

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094695 30962

Camp Martsemik La

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 075030 33585

Camp Whispering Waves

Location: Spangmik

Wonderland Camp: This camp I have heard is open during winters as well but it is not confirmed. If you are planning a winter trip and want to stay at the lake, you can give them a call and inquire.

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094191 77723

Camp Watermark

Location: Spangmik

Pangong Delight Camp

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 095968 11649

The Kora Pangong Camp

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094192 15066

Camp Redstart

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094191 77245

Highland Camps

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094198 19078

Gongma Homestay: A good option if you want to stay as a paying guest in the village.

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 094695 34270

Dorjay Delbu Guest House: Another place to stay that comes highly recommended. To reach here, continue driving after Spangmik until the village of Merak. The location of the guest house is amazing, close to the lake. Rooms are quite comfortable and food is simple but delicious.

Location: Merak
Phone: 099069 93462

Hotel Pangong Residency: A cemented hotel and good option to stay if you do not want to stay in the camp, could not get booking at Hotel Pangong Camp Resort and do not mind staying a little far from the lake.

Location: Tangtse
Phone: 094192 43495

Marzee Home Stay: This too is in the village of Merak, another good place to stay.

Location: Merak
Phone: 099069 93462

Peacefull Home Stay: Another good place to stay in Merak.

Location: Merak
Phone: 070511 11988

Peacefull Home Stay: Yes there are two home stays there with this name, of the same owner though.

Location: Merak
Phone: 094692 80274

Himalayan Wooden Cottages: If you do not want to stay far from the lake or in camps, this is a great option to be considered. About 8-10 wooden cottages close enough to the lake with decent enough cottages and food.

Location: Spangmik
Phone: 09716507246
Price Range: Around Rs. 4000 for a double bed cottage with two meals included

I hope this information was useful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below and I would be glad to answer. If you have stayed at a camp site at Pangong, have good or bad feedback about it, please do provide it in the comments section in order to help others.

We have plan of bike trip from Aug 7 to 12th AUg in leh. I need 2 most important information, where do i rent bike in leh with good condition ( as we are 6 group of people doing solo ride) share the contacts and regarding accommodation( i already refereed your articles) but need some more help.

5th Bangalore to Delhi flight
6th delhi to led flight we reach by air to leh
7th Leh to pangong and stay Night
8th pangong to leh and stay night
9th Leh to nubra valley and stay night
10th Nubra to leh and stay night
11 th Leh to kargil ( can we cover it one day )
12th leh to manali ( by taxi) can we cover it in one day or two days we need.
13th and 14 th manali and 14th aug night journey to Chandigarh to catch flight to Bangalore

Regarding your itinerary, what time is your flight landing in Leh? Before proceceding towards Pangong the next day, you will need to arrrange for ILPs so ensure ensure that you plan your timings accordingly.

Second, do not go to Pangong first or else you will just suffer from AMS. Go to Nubra first and let your body adjust to high altitude. Nubra valley is at a lower altitude than Pangong so it will be better to go there first and plan Pangong for later.

Are you asking about going from Leh to Kargil in one day and coming back to Leh? If yes, then it is not doable in one day. Take a ride on Srinagar Leh highway, go as far as you can by noon or 1 PM and then head back towards Leh.

Yes you can get a shared taxi from Leh for Manali non-stop but it is not something that you will get in the morning and reach Manali by evening. On 11th, first find out about shared taxis. It usually starts sometime in the evening. So that way, you will take the cab on 11th evening and reach Manali on 12th. Find out about the shared cabs while you are in Leh and upon getting the information, plan your day on 11th accordingly. You may have to give up the Kargil plan altogether and spend time in leh itself.

For bike rentals, I do not have a contact in Leh but I got one in Srinagar. Talk to Faisal at 9596410670. He runs a rental agency in Srinagar. Give him my reference and he will route you to a reliable rental company in Leh.

DO we need ILPs to go to pangong and nubra ? As well check my new plan. once more thing i wanted to to nubra to pangong via shyok village road, can we take the chance?

5th Bangalore to Delhi flight
6th delhi to leh flight we reach by air to leh in the morning around 11 am
7th Leh to nubra and stay Night
8th nubra to leh and stay night
9th Leh to pangong and stay night
10th pangong to leh and stay night
11 th Leh to kargil ( can we cover it one day ) – yes even i thought same we will ride how much we can and come back , but if we want stay in kargil does it have cheap accommodation or drass is better.
12th leh to manali ( by taxi) if we leave by 12th night at least can we reach 13th aug evening to manaili.
14 th manali ( we want to para gliding so we need to go manali or can we get down some where in between and stay
and 14th aug night journey to Chandigarh to catch flight to Bangalore

Hi Mr.Vargis Khan
Thank you so much for such detailed insight . i was just checking out the rates for tents in pangong tso for my trip to ladakh. The tents seem to charge me 5K a night which is really steep as i am travelling alone and a little scared for the dearth of accommodation available online. Should i book a tent or will i get a cheaper accommodation there. Thank you sir

Hello Mr. Sahil Jain – Do not book in advance, they will definitely ask for a higher price if you call them. Just reach Pangong and negotiate a price on the spot, you will get a much lower rate this way.

Thank you so much sir for your valuable feedback. I just had another question in mind regarding the transportation. Are there shared cabs available everyday or should i just take the bus and is there enough modes to come back to leh.

Me and my wife are doing Leh from last week of June this year, we will be reaching to Pangong Tso on 3rd of July. I was wondering if you can let me know about
1. The camping sites at spangmik, which are right on the shore facing lake for some night photography.
2. Will those camping tents be available, if i don’t book in advance, as early July being the peak time of tourism.

1. All the camp sites are facing the lake, perfect to capture some great shots at night as well. Do keep in mind that it will be way too cold at nights so ensure that you are carrying some gloves that allow you to operate the camera without taking them off. If you want to do some photography in peace at night without freezing, then prepare for cold accordingly.

Hey Vargis,
A really great site for all the relevant info about Leh and Ladakh..

I am planning to travel solo in october (Flying in on 11th oct 2016) mostly on shoestring budget. I realise that it is late but that is the time I am getting off from work. The accommodations mentioned above, are they ok for solo female travellers? and if not will it help if i carry my tent ? will it be too cold for tents? And I am not too keen on carrying blankets etc with me everywhere, so can I borrow them from Chadar tents for money?

So could you please help me with accommodation info for solo women travellers in most of the places?

Hi , vargis khan i will be at pengong lake on 19th august with full family. (5 adult+1child age of 10). I want to stay 1 ngt ther. Plz suggest for accomodation. It will b ok for my family to stay in camp? Can i contact u on phone?
Waiting for ur reply.
Nilesh
9375965050

Hello mr vargis khan…i am.mehul from mumbai..me and my frnda are coming to pangong lake on 12th of august for one night stay..i want to enquire about accomodatin facilities at pangong…can u pls call me on this no 9029737011 or mail me motiwalem@gmail.com..kindly mention your contact no in the mail
…waiting for ur reply

Hi Mrityunjay – You do not have to make any bookings at all …. You will very easily find accommodation at Pangong. Unless you are talking about the only cemented hotel at Pangong which is booked months in advance. Hard to find accommodation in the hotel but at the camp sites you easily can.

hi vargis khan, we are from mumbai traveling from 1st may by our ertiga car,with family and reaching srinagar approximately by 10th may it is advisabal to visit leh by road with our car, we are 6 person including 4 ladies,please guide us or we can get driver from srinagar.

Janak – The biggest question that early in May would be whether or not the Srinagar Leh highway would be open and even if it is, roads would be in terrible conditions specially at Zoji la. Last year the highway opened on 15th May. I doubt if Ertiga is the right car to be travelling on that road at that time of the year with 6 people in it. You may want to postpone your plan for a little later.

Hi..Mr. Vargiskhan,
Iam Saket Dhumal already planned my Leh-Ladakh trip with my friends. We are Six paxs & this is our first time to Leh-ladakh.
I am looking for a person who can guide us for this trip right from Sight seeing TO Accommodation. Actualy we are coming from NAGPUR(Maharastra). Will Land on Shrinagar on 18th Afternoon. From Shrinagar to Leh what is the convenient mode of travel to Leh. What are the places in between this routes, where should we stay in Night.
All this types of question are in my Mind. Kindly guide us to make our trip memorable. You can mail me on saket.dhumal@gmail.com OR What’s Up @ 08975845600/08605600888

I need an advice. I have just 5 days to visit laddakh from 29th Sept till 3rd October. Can I do Leh – Tsomorori – Pangong – Leh. I plan to hire a 4 wheel drive or innova at Leh for the entire trip. Stay first day-overnight at Leh and 2 nights at Tsomorori and 1 night at pangong and return to Leh on 3rd. I am travelling alone. Should I consider visiting both Tsomorori and pangong in this short perio, or I should drop one of them. If I have to drop one of them and pick only one due to tight schedule, which one I should pick – Tsomorori or pangong. You advice will be helpful.

Hi Venkatesh, I am assuming you that are taking a flight to Leh. IT actually depends on what other places are you planning to visit. If you only intend to go to Pangong and Tso Moriri, then it can be done in 4 days however if you have other places on your itinerary, then it can be a little tough to squeeze in a trip to both lakes. If you have to drop one, you should pick Pangong. Its a much better deal than Moriri.